Rely on me and be kind to me.
This is not love, but family affection.
The only one who feels closest to love right now is Karura.
Thinking of Karura warmed Rasa's heart.
Her behavior matched exactly what Rasa imagined a lover should be.
Rasa leaned back in the chair, head resting against it, staring at the ceiling.
Pakura's behavior toward him spoke clearly.
To her, he was just a "good brother of the opposite sex," someone she trusted completely and had no defenses against.
Like those female friends who could joke around casually, unconcerned about physical boundaries.
The more Rasa—still inexperienced in love—thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was right.
Pakura was cold and irritable toward others, and in the original story she had been strict with her female apprentice, Maki.
It was normal for someone with her personality to see him only as a brother.
And she had never hinted otherwise.
Even the dullest woman would realize at some point what her frequent habit of holding a man's arm meant.
But Pakura showed no sign of realizing it.
Rasa, believing he had figured it all out, suddenly felt depressed.
He had always been aware of his own lustful nature.
Naturally, he had entertained thoughts about Pakura, a top-tier beauty in both figure and looks.
If he could have a harem, he definitely would.
After all, in the ninja world there were no rules limiting how many wives a man could take.
It was simply that most famous ninjas preferred monogamy.
Still, even if he wanted a harem...
If Pakura didn't have feelings for him, should he force himself on her?
And in truth, Rasa disliked forcing women.
As for the incident with Tsunade, he had always considered it just a dream—a fantasy he had often entertained.
In dreams, he could do anything. Dreams were only illusions created by the mind.
They caused no real harm.
But reality was different. If he crossed the line with her…
Would she stop treating him the same way forever?
Rasa genuinely liked the way things were now with Pakura—the ease of being able to say whatever he wanted without overthinking.
"Hey, Rasa, are you just going to sit there daydreaming? Come help me!"
Hearing this, Rasa gave a bitter smile. Then a thought struck him—he had never truly been in love before. Maybe he was simply wrong?
Wanting to test his theory, Rasa decided to act.
He quickly went into the kitchen to help.
"Pakura, what do you need me to do?"
"Radishes. Peel these dozen radishes and cut them into pieces."
The Sand Village was poor.
In other villages, radishes were nothing special.
But in the Sand Village, vegetables were a luxury.
Even a plain radish was precious—something even a high-ranking ninja couldn't eat every day.
By contrast, meat was abundant.
Rasa looked at the radishes beside Pakura as she chopped meat, and felt this was the perfect chance to test things.
He picked up a radish, then casually placed his hand on Pakura's firm backside and squeezed.
Soft, springy warmth filled his palm.
Rasa quickly looked at her.
If she got angry, blushed, or fell silent, then his guess would be wrong.
But Rasa was disappointed.
"Really? What are you fooling around for? Get to work."
Pakura glared at him with a calm face, showing no embarrassment at all.
To her, it seemed like nothing more than a harmless joke.
Rasa's heart tightened. He nodded, took the radishes to the side, and began cutting them.
But only a few seconds after lowering his head, a blush crept across Pakura's face, red as a ripe crab.
She touched her burning cheeks.
Inside, she felt a strange happiness, mixed with an unfamiliar expectation she couldn't explain.
Pakura shook her head quickly, took a few deep breaths, and only returned to chopping once the heat in her cheeks subsided.
Ten seconds later, when Rasa looked up, her face was calm again.
Seeing this, Rasa became completely certain: to Pakura, he was nothing more than a brother.
Even if, one day, her affection for him reached its peak, it would still only be a sibling-like bond—just a question of degree.
Rasa laughed bitterly to himself. Fine, just good brothers. There were plenty of kunoichi in the world anyway.
And having such a "brother" in the future wasn't bad either.
With her, he could share things he wouldn't tell his women.
His future harem wouldn't miss one person.
Meanwhile, Pakura, chopping quickly, felt an inner calm and a strange emotion she had never known before.
It only surfaced when she was with Rasa.
Even at other times, just thinking of him brought it back.
Pakura asked herself again, as she had many times before:
"What is this? Even if it's friendship, it feels different. And besides Rasa, I don't have any other male friends."
Two emotional fools together.
A misunderstanding in their hearts.
One convinced it was just friendship.
The other unable to name the strange feeling, still believing the same.
After Rasa "figured it out," he relaxed completely.
He treated Pakura as a good brother of the opposite sex, someone he could joke with freely, and naturally grew closer to her.
He leaned near her head from time to time, whispering.
So close, he caught her fragrance.
sister, you smell so good.
The two busied themselves cooking, chatting as they worked.
From time to time, Rasa brushed against Pakura.
Pakura, not to be outdone, returned the touches. The atmosphere was light and cheerful.
After six dishes were prepared, things became even livelier.
When Rasa bragged about bits of knowledge from his reincarnated past, Pakura shared amusing stories from her missions.
Rasa listened attentively, constantly agreeing and asking questions, eager to learn about events not recorded in the original story.
Dinner stretched over two hours.
Because of the alcohol, Pakura grew hot and took off her coat, leaving only her undergarments.
Rasa feasted his eyes again and again.
The mood was joyful, but still free of ambiguity.
Another half hour passed.
Flushed from drinking, Pakura pouted at Rasa.
"It's not like I don't have rooms here. There are plenty you could use. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"I'm not used to sleeping at someone else's place—unless you get me even more drunk."
Rasa waved his hands, his blush fading.
Though he hadn't drunk much in his previous life, this mild ninja-world alcohol was easy to handle.
Pakura hit him several times playfully.
But in just her undergarments, the movement made her full chest bounce.
Rasa looked calmly at her swaying breasts, then let his gaze linger for a few seconds on her cleavage.
Since he already considered her a "brother," it would be a waste not to enjoy the sight.
He waved a hand.
"No need to see me off. You're only in underwear. If you walk me out like this, you'll just expose yourself."
Pakura raised her pale arms and threatened:
"If anyone dares look at me, I'll burn their eyes out!"
Then, suddenly remembering something, she tapped her head lightly.
Even drunk, she radiated beauty.
Pakura pulled a bunch of keys from her pocket and handed them to Rasa.
"Here, these are for my front door and the stairs to the second floor."
Rasa thought for a moment, then nodded and put the keys away.
Pakura's flushed face brightened. Hugging him tightly, she said happily:
"That's great! I thought you'd refuse."
Rasa hugged her back without hesitation.
If it had been just a friend of the opposite sex, he might have hesitated out of habit.
But why be polite to your sister?